Through the cracks

More and more seniors struggle to make ends meet, and many wonder how they'll survive the winter freeze

Barbara Howes ended up hospitalized after going without her medications so she could afford to heat her apartment for her dying husband. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

Last winter, as Barbara Howes watched her beloved husband of 56 years wage a losing battle with cancer, she risked her own health to ensure his comfort. Howes, who has diabetes, went without her prescription medications to buy the oil needed to heat their apartment.

"Everything fell apart all at once," recalled Howes, 73, who had moved to Haverhill from Florida when just a teenager after falling for a local boy. She married Ernest Howes when she was 17. "We had never asked anyone for anything, but I learned my lesson the hard way - I can't go without my medications. I ended up in the hospital last year."

Patch the leaky roof or pay the rent? Buy needed medications or send the local utility company a check?

Advocates for the poor fear thousands of area seniors, crushed by the latest economic downturn, will be forced to make gut-wrenching choices this year. Already, social service agencies are being flooded with calls from frail elders who are worried about how they'll make ends meet on Social Security checks and meager savings during the cold winter months.

"We're getting hundreds of phone calls each month from seniors who need help with medical bills, heating bills, shelter, even clothing," said Rosanne DiStefano, executive director of Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Inc., a nonprofit agency that strives to help elders remain in their homes. The agency serves seniors in 23 communities, from Dunstable to Amesbury.

"The people we serve are not living off retirement plans," said DiStefano. "These are people who get by on Social Security and scant savings. Until now, they've managed to keep their heads above water, but as the costs of basic necessities continue to escalate, we're seeing unprecedented levels of fear and anxiety."

Such fears are driving many seniors back into the labor force. Today, more than 6 million workers are 65 or older, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And over the next decade, the number of workers age 55 and up is expected to rise at more than five times the rate of the overall workforce, the bureau reported.

"Years ago, folks would retire and six months later they'd go out and get part-time jobs to have something to do," said Susan Cripps, a counselor with SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Elders) who helps seniors navigate the complex world of Medicare. "Now, we're seeing a lot of seniors getting jobs to supplement their income. This seems to be especially true for older women who typically stayed home to raise their children and didn't put much into their retirement plans or didn't have retirement plans at all."

But for elders like Howes with serious health problems, returning to the 9 to 5 grind is not an option. Instead, they're being forced to delay home repairs or rethink their lifestyle. Some seniors are curbing out-of-town travel to save money at the gas pump. Others are finding they must change their eating habits to rein in costs at the supermarket.

"A lot of elders rely on frozen dinners and prepared foods because of the convenience they offer, but with the cost of food going up and up, they're finding they have to do more of their own food preparation," noted Martha Cashins, who owns and operates a Home Instead Senior Care franchise that helps 80 elderly clients in about 30 cities and towns throughout Essex County maintain a safe and independent lifestyle.

"We try to help our clients in any way that we can, from taking them to medical appointments and the movies, to helping them with meal preparation or finding a handyman to make minor home repairs."

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs is currently conducting a statewide survey to determine what services people 60 and older need. Early results show 68 percent of respondents are struggling to meet housing expenses, 69 percent are having trouble affording health insurance, and 65 percent are finding it difficult to afford groceries.

To help seniors cope, Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley holds a RiverWalk each year to raise funds for the agency's eldercare fund, money that is distributed to seniors in need. This year's 6K walk takes place in Lawrence this morning, with festivities set to kick off at 10 a.m. at 360 Merrimack St.

As winter looms, many seniors are trying to figure out how to stretch their fixed incomes to cover the cost of heat. According to a recent study published by the AARP Public Policy Institute, residents who rely on fuel oil for heat can expect to pay 38 percent more to heat their homes this year over last, while those who rely on natural gas can expect their bills to rise 7 percent.

Already, fuel oil is at $3.28 per gallon, more than $1 higher than it was at this time last year, according to John Condon, heating program director for Community Action Inc. in Haverhill, which negotiates discounted oil prices for hundreds of low-income households in 11 communities.

"It's going to be a horrendous year," he said. "We've been booking appointments since July for folks who want to apply for fuel assistance for the first time."

Depending on income, households can receive up to $735 in fuel assistance for the winter season, but most low-income families receive about $500 from the federal government for the winter, an amount that advocates say is woefully inadequate given the rising cost of fuel.

The income limit to qualify for assistance is $20,800 for a single person; the limit increases by $7,200 for each additional family member.

"Federal funding is not in touch with reality," said Condon. "Ten years ago, the maximum grant was $595 per family, but that would buy 800 gallons of fuel oil, enough to get through the winter.

"Today's maximum allotment would only buy about 224 gallons of fuel oil. The politicians in Washington should bail out the fuel assistance program and worry less about bailing out the big financial institutions."

Howes is planning to meet Thursday with a counselor at Community Action Inc. to talk about fuel assistance.

"If I can't get any help from them, I don't know what I'll do," said Howes, who must make it through this winter with even less money than she had last winter.

After her husband died in July her income fell 30 percent, to just under $1,000 a month, she said. The rent alone is $500.

"I'm doing everything I can to trim my expenses, and my daughter helps me out when she can, but I'm at the point where there's nothing left to cut."

Brenda J. Buote may be reached at bbuote@comcast.net.